It was a battle of the brilliant No.1s in the clash between the Sea Eagles and the Raiders at Brookvale Oval in Round 9, 2012 – and it was a battle Manly and their fullback Brett Stewart won.
Coming up against fellow NSW Blues candidate Josh Dugan, Stewart attacked with purpose and precision but it was his defence that was most noteworthy – he held up Canberra forward Shaun Fensom and stopped a runaway Tom Learoyd-Lahrs to help his side secure a courageous and determined 18-12 victory.
Statistically, perhaps the biggest talking point to come out of the game was the 8-3 penalty count in favour of the home side. It led to Canberra coach David Furner blowing up after the match, ultimately being fined $10,000.
The Sea Eagles’ three-tries-to-two victory came on the back of strong performances from Steve Matai and Glenn Stewart, as well as brother Brett.